in addition to the sats, acts, and advanced placement exams, a non-profit organization is testing how students will cope with the technology demands of college.

the test doesn't measure how kids will weather the challenges of downloading music, or whether they'll be able to chat with their friends online.

instead, the non-profit educational testing service (ets) has enlisted select students from across the country to pilot test a new version of its flagship information and communication technology (ict) literacy assessment.

the core-level ict exam is targeted at secondary-school students and is intended to aid in the transition from high school to college. the assessment utilizes scenario-based tasks to measure student skills in incorporating their knowledge of digital technology, communication tools and networks to solve relevant it-oriented problems.

put simply, it means a shift from itunes to powerpoint.

"too many students begin college with faux technology skills, where they have used technology for entertainment and purchasing purposes but haven't used it to the full potential," said terry egan, project leader for the ict literacy assessment. "this is not just a test of technical skills, its students thinking skills within a technological environment."

"in this day and age if you don't have these information and communication technology skills it's going to hamper your success and advancement in both the academic environment and the work force as well," egan added.

ets says it will send collective student scores and relevant data to schools and universities that want to analyze the information for future reference.

"schools find this valuable because the advisors can now sit down and look at student score reports to find where they need to incorporate technology in teaching to help students hone the skills they need," said egan.

ets launched an advanced version of the exam in 2005, which was created for upper-classmen in college and also designed to help students in switching from two-to-four year universities. the new core level exam looks at how students access, manage, define, integrate, evaluate, create and communicate digital information, according to officials.

"the biggest difference is that the core version is directed to a different population of students," said egan. "it measures the same types of skills as the advanced version, but the tasks are slightly less complex and there is less of a reading load."

fifteen colleges and ten high schools throughout the country will participate in the pilot program for the core assessment, through feb. 17, 2006.

the test uses simulated information management tasks to evaluate student skill sets and critical thinking capabilities. the exam features an interface that is familiar to students, but not dependent on particular software.

"so instead of powerpoint you have presentation software and instead of microsoft word you have word processing software," said egan.

it is compromised of 15 questions that very in length, from 4-15 minutes. the entire assessment takes a little over an hour to complete. score reports provide students with performance feedback on each task they complete.

"they get a scaled score that shows performance compared to other students, [and] they get feedback on all tasks so they have a good understanding on where performance was strong and where they need to acquire additional skills," said egan.

while the new ets exam addresses tech literacy at the upper rungs of the educational ladder, the concept is relevant for students of all ages.

elementary school students seem increasingly receptive toward technology in the classroom, which gives teachers the opportunity to integrate technical skills into core subjects like math and science, some instructors say.

younger students don't seem inhibited by digital technology. some schools have begun to offer activities that range from digital photography to video ipod applications and kids are getting excited about it, according to bill fisk, professor and faculty chair at clemson university's school of education.

"we've got fourth graders using handhelds for science experiments  they take notes on a pda then sync that back to the computer and put it on a web site so kids all over the world can do the same experiment and share insight," said fisk. "it's the process that's really important, not just whether they can get to the end of the task."

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